Excalibur Rising
by angels in wonderland
Summary: A great king is resurrected by two brothers and a fallen angel to face demons, old and new. Merlin/Arthur & Dean/Castiel, Charlie, Morgana, Adbaddon, Crowley, and Kevin are thrown in there, too.
1. Chapter 1

The first time Merlin met Castiel, Arthur Pendragon had been dead for over two hundred years.

The angel appeared to him through the vessel of a young man, a servant of God. He needed Merlin's help dealing with here a group of Druid descendents that planned to summon Morgana from using a bracelet that had been given to her by her half-sister, Morgause. Once a sorceress, Morgana had become a powerful demon, fighting and manipulating her way up to high ranks in the hell. Castiel explained that it had probably happened more quickly than usual, considering she was only a shell of a human when she died. This threat was something that the heavenly host could not allow to happen, by orders of some authority that Merlin cared nothing about. Whether it be a king, an angel, or God, Merlin had neither interest in it nor loyalty toward it.

Castiel, who had been cold and unsympathetic at the time, watched as Merlin waded into the water.

"It is not yet his time to return."

"Bring him back." Merlin had been silent until then. "I will not leave this lake without him at my side."

"Then I will have to take you." Merlin struggled as strong hands gripped his shoulders. He screamed the king's name, hoping that somehow Arthur could hear him. Merlin wanted him to know that he wasn't leaving him on is own accord. Panic flooded his thoughts. _Maybe this man is lying. What if Arthur returns and I am not here?_

Castiel decided not the wait for the man's compliance. He touched two fingers to Merlin's forehead and a moment later, they were in a cave outside of a Druid village and Merlin had stopped screaming. Although the sorcerer was still angry, he felt calmness flowing over him. "You can't do much in this form," Castiel stated. Merlin let his eyes flutter closed as his body rebuilt itself. His skin tightened over his muscles and his joints moved freely. His heart beat became stronger and his gray hair vanished.

When he opened his eyes, he looked down at his hands. He was overcome with grief as his memories came rushing back to him. He flashed back to the last times his hands looked young, cradling Arthur in his arms as he took his last breaths. Merlin fell to his knees, crying for the first time in years. He had suppressed these memories for so long. A rough, uncaring voice brought him back to the present and Merlin raked his fingers through his hair, forcing the tears back. He tried to get the numbness back.

"We don't have much time. I know this must be difficult for you. We would not have called on you if we had any other options." Merlin tried to breath normally as he wondered if the angel had any emotion at all. "Their temple is protected by Enochian symbols that prevent me or my brothers from entering. You are the only earthly being who can destroy the bracelet. I understand that you have not used your gifts in a long time." Merlin had not used magic since that fateful day. He and Arthur had been two sides of the same coin, and when his other half had been torn away from him, his powers became dormant. Merlin no longer had a purpose in his life, and the magic seemed to know it.

Castiel reached out to touch Merlin once more, this time laying a hand on his chest. Merlin felt a surge of energy radiating from the point of contact. His magic was returning to him, stronger than it had ever been. It filled Merlin until he thought his body would burst open, and yet he felt nothing but emptiness. He stared blankly as Castiel explained where the bracelet could be found.

x - x - x

Merlin made his way through the Druid town, ignoring the questioning stares from the villagers. He found a small temple in the center of the main square and went inside. An alter was set up, painted with symbols that were most likely made from blood. Human or animal, Merlin could not tell. Bones, crystals, and other objects were strewn across the table and at the center, resting on a pillow and surrounded by candles, was the bracelet.

Merlin's entrance had not gone unnoticed, and he was soon surrounded by men in dirty, worn-out robes. He could sense that they were powerful sorcerers, but with a swift movement of his hand they were unconscious on the ground. When he grabbed the bracelet, it began to burn through his skin. He did not let it go, though. He channeled all of the anger, all of the hurt that had built up over the centuries. Every negative emotion he had felt fueled Merlin's magic, and the bracelet disintegrated.

It had been so simple. He hadn't even hesitated to keep Morgana, who had once been a beloved friend, in the flames of hell. He thought of all the times he could have killed her, when Arthur was still with him. Merlin had been too weak to put an end to her so many times, even going as far as healing her from the near-fatal injury because he couldn't stand to see Arthur and Guinevere suffer from her loss. Instead, Arthur had to be hurt and killed because of her betrayal, and Guinevere had lived out the rest of her life ruling Camelot alone. He hated himself for his mistakes, and his regret had driven him mad. It had taken two failed attempts to end his life before he realized his curse of immortality.

Merlin fought to control his breathing as he realized his cheeks were wet with tears. He ran out of the temple to return to the cave but instead collided painfully with the angel. The town around them was scattered with bodies, and all of the surrounding trees and plants were dead. "You did this?"

"It was regretful, but necessary." Merlin looked around in shock and saw children amongst the bodies. Castiel showed no signs of remorse. The sorcerer raised his hand toward the angel in anger, and threw him through the closest building. A flap of wings and a rush of air later, Castiel appeared in front of Merlin, unfazed by the attack. "I will return you to your home now, you are no longer needed."

"That's it?" Merlin yelled, raising his hand again. A bright light flashed in the angel's eyes, and Merlin's hand involuntarily dropped to his hand. He felt the magic draining from him.

"You want a reward." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I want Arthur back." Merlin tried to hold back the tears he knew were filling his eyes. Too many had fallen today already.

"That is not possible right now. The day will come in time."

"Then let me die and return with him. I can't keep living like this."

"I can not do that, I'm sorry."

Before Merlin could speak again, Castiel pressed his fingertips to Merlin's forehead one last time. In the blink of an eye, Merlin was back on the shore of Lake Avalon, an old man again. Alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin waited. For over a millennium he lived by the lake, in a large two-bedroom stone cottage he built. He did everything he could to numb the pain, his favorite medicine being alcohol because it was cheap and legal. He was drunk more often than not. In his many years Merlin took some lovers, but never any friends. He could not bear to lose anyone else.

After Castiel there had been more angels. Samael, Balthazar, Jophiel. None of them had asked anything of Merlin; they were there to make sure Merlin was not trying to resurrect Arthur. He had tried, hundreds of ways. Merlin had dealt with dark sorcerers, necromancers. His pain had driven him to places his morals would have never allowed him to go. The angels were there to bring him off of the dark path his often stumbled upon and back into the light. That is where his soul belonged, they had told him.

After five hundred years the angels stopped visiting. Merlin missed them, but they no longer had a purpose at Lake Avalon. Merlin had lost all of his will, abandoning his quest to bring Arthur back.

Everything changed one night in the twenty-first century, when he saw the angels again. He looked up at the sky, lit up with fire, and finally saw a bit of hope.


	3. Chapter 3

"In exchange for this new life I have given you, I must take your wings." Castiel lay silently, but his eyes filled with tears. He blinked them away in confusion. Crying was a completely new sensation for him, and thinking about it just brought more tears.

Castiel jumped as Metatron pushed him forward in Naomi's chair. He struggled when he saw the angel blade, but without his grace he was easily restrained. Castiel wanted to stretch his wings one last time but he no longer had the power to move them. That didn't stop the white hot pain as Metatron sliced off his left wing. Castiel screamed, and if he had still possessed his angelic voice he knew that all of the glass in that room would have shattered.

"It's almost over, Castiel." The former angel cried out as the other one came off. It made a sickening thud on the linoleum floor, creating a pool of crimson blood, a stark contrast against the white.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Cas glared at him through the tears. "Now, where would you like me to send you?" He said this casually, as if he had not just committed a horrible crime against a fellow angel.

"Dean..." Castiel gasped, "and Sam." He breathed out the location of the church and saw a blinding white light as Metatron sent him, unhealed, back to earth.

* * *

Castiel woke up shivering in a deep puddle of mud. He hated the feeling of cold, but at least it felt soothing on his back. It was a struggle just to get into a sitting position. He was so weak as a human, and it took more coordination than he was used to to get to his feet.

He could see the steeple of the church nearby and stumbled through the woods until he reached a clearing. That was when he knew that Metatron had succeeded in completing the spell. The sky lit up as his family began to fall, burning their ways through the atmosphere.

Castiel heard he name being yelled. _Dean_.

"Dean!" Dean looked up from where he crouched against the Impala with his brother, seeing Cas only about a hundred feet away. Relief flooded his emotions. His brother and his angel both still alive. Dean had imagined Castiel lying broken on the ground somewhere, or at the bottom of an ocean, but there he was. He looked very pale and staggered when he walked, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Cas, come on!" Dean got Sam into the back of the car, laying him down across the seats. "It's okay, Sammy, you're gonna be just fine, I got you."

Cas had just made it to the car when his legs failed him. Dean's arms were around him in an instant, lowering him slowly to the ground. Castiel leaned his forehead against his shoulder and Dean pulled him into a tight hug.

"God, Cas. I though we'd lost you." He pressed a rough kiss to the other man's temple. "You stupid son of a bitch." Dean pulled away and froze, looking down at his own arms. They were covered in blood. Dean panicked as he flashed back to the time that he had pulled bloody hands away from his brother's back. The night Sam had died.

"Shit, shit, shit." He pulled Cas off of the ground and rushed to get him into the passenger seat. "What the hell happened?"

"Metatron—"

"_Was lying._" Dean cut him off a bit too harshly.

Cas looked away, ashamed. "By the time I realized, he had an angel blade against my throat." Dean noticed that his voice did not sound as deep and rough as it usually did when he spoke. He got into the front seat and started Baby's engine. "He took my grace as the last piece of the spell." Castiel touched his throat, eyes closed. "And then he cut off my wings."

Dean winced. Fuck, that must have hurt like hell. _Literal_ hell. He remembered times when Alistair would saw his limbs off of his body. His heart broke knowing what pain the angel had gone through.

"We'll stop at the first motel I can find. I'll see what I can do about your back." Blood was soaked through the back of Castiel's trench coat, but Dean figured he could stitch it up. The hospital was a last resort, like it always was for the Winchesters. Too many questions, and they didn't have any fake IDs and insurance cards for Cas.

Dean reached over and squeezed Castiel's arm. "You're gonna be just fine, I promise."

The fallen angel looked down sadly, and Dean thought he saw a tear roll down Cas's nose and fall onto his lap. "It is not _myself_ I am worried about. I have failed my entire family. They could all be dead right now because of me. I wish Metatron would have just killed me."

"Don't you say that," Dean scolded. He remembered the conversation they had shared when Castiel had told Dean he was suicidal.

"It's all my fault."

"You can't think like that, man. I know I'm the last person who should be talking about taking blame." He unconsciously started rubbing circles on Castiel's arm with his thumb. "And yeah, you should have realized sooner. But I know you didn't give up your grace willingly. Metatron is responsible for this. You were just too trusting, Cas."

"Thank you, Dean." Castiel's voice was shaky.

They drove in silence until Dean saw the bright lights of a cheap motel. Dean got one room with two queens so he could sleep on the floor between Sam and Cas if either of them needed him during the night.

Dean lifted Sam out of the car first, causing the younger hunter to grumble in protest. Dean let go of him and waited to make sure he was steady on his feet before getting Cas out of the front seat. He seemed to have regained some strength, only leaning on Dean lightly.

When Sam was comfortably sprawled across the bed closest to the door, Dean led Castiel into the small, but thankfully very clean bathroom. When the fallen angel stumbled, Dean put down the lid of the toilet and sat Castiel down.

"We need to get you cleaned up." Twigs, leaves, and clumps of dirt clung to the fabric of Castiel's clothes. Dean knelt in front of the toilet and slid the trench coat off of Cas's shoulders gently. The coat and suit jacket were tattered where his wings had been. Dirt caked the torn flesh of Castiel's back. "How did you get so dirty?"

"I fell in a puddle of mud." Cas sounded exhausted.

That brought up a question that Dean had been avoiding until now. "Did you actually fall? Like the other angels?" Dean saw the look of overwhelming guilt on Castiel's as he thought of his family falling to earth.

Cas looked down at his hands which were folded in his lap. "I don't think so, no. I don't really remember." Dean lifted Castiel's chin up with his hand until their eyes met.

"We'll figure this out, okay? We always do." He rested his forehead head against Castiel's for a few moments before he reluctantly pulled away. "I'm going to run to the car and get the medical kit. I'll be right back."

A string of "it's fine, it's not that bad," escaped Dean's lips as he ran to the car. He was lying. His brother was suffering from some sort of Heavenly cancer and Cas was broken and bleeding in the bathroom. Dean grabbed the medical supplies and a bottle of whiskey from the trunk and ran back inside.

He found Cas struggling with trembling hands to remove his tie. "I gotcha, Cas," Dean said, lowering the man's hands. As he loosened the tie, Castiel slumped forward and rested his head on Dean's shoulder. The closeness was strange but not unpleasant, even in light of the current events. In the past hour Dean and the fallen angel had had more physical contact than in all of their years together.

"I feel so empty without my grace." Dean had no idea what to say to that. _It could be worse? At least the world isn't ending this time?_ With their luck, it probably was. The world was _always _fucking ending.

Dean took upon himself the task of undressing Cas and handed him the bottle of liquor. Castiel took a large gulp, then another, and then a few more before Dean pulled away the bottle.

"Slow down, there. You have human alcohol tolerance now, remember?" Like Cas needed another reminder of his now mortal state. Dean took a few sips of whiskey himself. When he had gotten Castiel down to his boxers he helped him onto the floor of the small tub. He set the whiskey, a needle and dental floss, and two wash cloths on the toilet seat. Dean stripped down as well, turned on the water, and climbed in behind him.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Cas gave a half-hearted tilt of his head.

"Getting a good angle of your back, I don't want you to have to twist." Cas seemed content with the answer, even though Dean was not. If he were being honest, he liked this new closeness with his angel, and figured it was also comforting for Cas.

When they had settled into the small tub, Dean handed Castiel one of the wash cloths and the motel soap. "Here, wash up the rest of yourself while I work on your back." Dean waited as Cas stared down at the items. He waited a few more moments and Cas still hadn't moved. His breathing was becoming faster and more ragged. "Cas?" No response. "Cas, buddy are you with me?"

Dean shook him gently until he responded with a rough "yes." It was an attempt at his normal, gravelly voice, but it came out broken. Castiel's shoulders continued rising and falling much more quickly and Dean realized he was hyperventilating. Cas muffled a sob as the hunter put his legs on either side of him and pulled him into his arms. He pushed aside the thoughts in his head that were screaming _chick-flick moment_. There were more important things at the moment than his masculinity.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Castiel said through gasps. "I'm not used to needing oxygen."

"Just slow down, breathe with me." Dean took slow, exaggerated breaths. He knew how to handle panic attacks; when Sam was little and their dad would disappear for days at a time, he used to scoop his little brother up in his arms and talk him through them.

"I can't stand being trapped in this vess—this body." Dean resisted the urge to ask about Jimmy. Maybe Cas had been alone in his vessel for some time now. "Pain is so much more intense now." Dean wrapped his arms tighter around Castiel but left a small space between him so that he wouldn't be touching the wounds.

"Just focus on your breathing, Cas, nothing else. Take slow, deep breaths." Dean pulled himself away and washed Castiel's back with the other wash cloth, carefully avoiding the gashes that were still bleeding. By the time he was done, Cas had slowed his breathing. "How are you doing?"

"These human senses are overwhelming." Not exactly an answer, but Dean took it.

"Tell me what you're feeling." He wanted to keep Cas as distracted as possible. "Besides the pain."

Cas was quiet for a moment, as if trying to sort through all the things his body was now sensing. It was difficult; his grace used to deflect any unnecessary "white noise," letting only important data slip through its guard. Now he was acutely aware of everything surrounding him, and it made his head hurt.

"The water... it feels like rain, only warmer."

"Good, what else?"

"The soap—it smells like the flowers I smelled in an elderly woman's heaven."

"Alright... that works I guess." He saw the abandoned wash cloth on the shower floor and grabbed it. "Now, I need you to focus on those things, and bite down on this."

Dean grabbed the open bottle of whiskey and poured it quickly over Castiel's back. He felt like his heart was breaking as the other man screamed and flinched away from the alcohol. Dean wrapped one arm around Cas to hold him still and tried again. This time was successful, but it left Castiel shaking with the sobs he was trying to hold back.

"I'm sorry, Cas." Dean said. His own eyes were filled with tears. "The worst is over." He took the towel out of Castiel's mouth and handed it to him. "Do you think you can finish washing while I stitch you up?" Dean wanted him to keep as busy as possible. Cas nodded an poured the remaining soap out of the tiny container into the wash cloth.

Dean threaded the needle through Castiel's skin as quickly and carefully as he could. The injuries were deep, and there was a lot of blood, but it seemed to have slowed down. Cas yelled through clenched teeth but remained still, and Dean was very grateful for that.

"It's okay, baby, I've got you." _Baby? _Dean had no idea where that had come from, and felt his face reddening at his slip. He looked for a reaction from Cas and felt him tense.

"Is that how you think of me, now?" Cas sounded angry and hurt. Then he remembered. _Without your power you're basically a baby in a trench coat._

"No, no Cas. That's not how I meant it at all." He was relieved when Cas didn't push the topic. What would Dean have said to explain himself?

Trying to get over his embarrassment, Dean focused intently on tending to Castiel's injuries. He finished the stitches in about five minutes. "There, all done." He looked at his work; it was a little sloppy, but it would have to do.

Cas collapsed back into Dean, exhausted. If pressing his back against Dean was causing him more pain, Castiel was not complaining. The hunter wrapped his arms around the other man.

It was not like Cas to be so physically close to him, and Dean couldn't help but wonder if it meant something more than comfortable friendship. Wanting to test this, he tentatively leaned down and pressed his lips against Castiel's shoulder. The other man said nothing but noticeably relaxed in Dean's arms, enveloping the hunter's hands in his own. Satisfied with Castiel's reaction, Dean rested his chin in the crook of Cas's neck.

"How about we get out of here?" The shower was starting to get cold. When Cas nodded Dean turned off the water and grabbed two towels. He helped Cas up; he was still very weak and stumbled a bit. "I'm going to get you some clothes. Just wait in here.

Sam was lying in the same position as he was when they left him, suspiciously still. Dean panicked and ran over to the bed, putting his hand in front of Sam's nose. He breathed a sigh of relieve when he felt his brother's shallow breath.

Dean grabbed a black t-shirt, a gray plaid shirt, and some boxers from his bag for Cas and then grabbed his own clothes. He returned to find Cas sitting on the edge of the tub with the towel wrapped around his shoulders, shivering.

"Here, put these on. You'll be much warmer." He handed Cas the clothes.

"I don't like being cold." Knowing Cas was safe and would recover had lightened Dean's mood a bit, and he almost laughed at the way the man pouted like an upset toddler. He held it back, trying to be sensitive about the difficult situation.

"I know. It's one of the many things you are going to have to get used to."

Cas stood up, very much in Dean's personal space. "Thank you." And then he closed the small space between their lips. Dean was shocked, and before he could kiss Castiel back, the space was there between them again. Cas looked more surprised than Dean figured he looked himself.

"I—I"m sorry. I don't know why—"

Dean cut him off by cupping Castiel's cheek in his hand and leaning down, pressing his lips firmly against the other man's. Cas let out a small gasp before he relaxed into the kiss.

After a few moments Dean regretfully pulled away when he noticed Cas shivering more violently.

"Okay then," the hunter said awkwardly. He looked everywhere Castiel's eyes."Time to get dressed and get you to sleep." He left the new human in the bathroom to change. He got dressed climbed into bed, deciding that he really didn't want to sleep on the floor tonight.

Dean had to smile as former angel came out of the bathroom, damp hair tussled and t-shirt on backwards. Instead of getting into the bed, Castiel grabbed a pillow and set it on the floor.

"Cas, I'm not making you sleep down there." Castiel tilted his head at Dean, clearly confused. "Um... I was wondering if I could... you know... sleep here with you." He felt his face getting hot. "If you don't mind, that is. I could totally sleep on the floor, if you want, I mean..."

"_Dean._" Dean stopped rambling and looked at Cas, waiting for rejection. Instead, Castiel smiled at him for the first time that night. "I would very much like that."

"Awesome," Dean said, trying to sound nonchalant. He pulled back the covers and gestured for Cas to join him. They settled in, Dean on his back and Castiel on his stomach. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"Goodnight, Dean."

"Goodnight, Cas." Dean reached over and turned the light off, moving in closer to the man he could not believe he was sharing a bed with. He jumped when Cas draped his arm across his stomach.

"Can I?"

"Yeah, Cas." The new human nestled his head against Dean's neck and fell asleep for the second time in his life. Dean rested his chin the top of his head, knowing things were finally going to start looking up for them.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Dean made sure to untangle himself from Cas and move his pillow to the floor before Sam woke up. He just wasn't ready for that conversation. He was already showered and ready by the time Sam woke up groggily, hair a complete mess. He looked a little less pale than the night before.

"Morning," he mumbled, stretching.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty. How are you feeling?"

"Much better." His forced smile told Dean that he was lying.

"Great." He forced a smile right back. "Hurry up so we can get breakfast, I'm starving."

Sam took longer in the shower than usual; he sat on the floor most of the time because his legs were too weak to hold him up. He leaned his head back against the tile, wishing the water was enough to wash away all of his impurities, like the trials were supposed to have done. But he had failed those, too.

A large part of him wished that Dean had not gotten their in time. Hell would be closed, Dean would be safe. Sure, the angels still would have fallen. But they would have fallen into a world without demons. Now, there were just more people in danger because of him.

After Sam's twenty minute shower he put on his clothes and looked in the mirror. His eyes were red from tears he hadn't noticed had even fallen. Heavily leaning on the counter, he waited a few minutes until he looked like he had not just been crying. "Get it together." A few deep breaths later he left the bathroom to find Cas still asleep, Dean poking his face repeatedly.

"Dude sleeps like a rock. Cas. _Cas!_" The fallen angel grumbled and rolled over.

"You are so immature." He grabbed his pillow and stuffed his head under it. Dean smirked at his brother.

"So, we know he's not a morning person." Dean grabbed a pair of jeans out of his bag and threw them on Cas. "Come on, get dressed. We're going for breakfast."

"I'm not hungry. I'll just stay here, you two go without me."

"You need food now, Cas," Sam said. He pulled the covers off of him and Castiel curled into a ball.

Dean rolled his eyes. This new humanity thing was already more difficult than he expected. "I bet you'll love pancakes, everybody loves pancakes. And coffee." At that, Cas slowly sat up.

"I do enjoy coffee."

As he pulled on the too-big pair of jeans (they would have to do some clothes shopping), Sam took out his laptop. "There is a pancake house two miles down the road."

"Awesome, let's go." He grabbed their duffel and Cas's old clothes and headed for the door.

"Sam."

"Yeah, Cas?"

"What happened to Crowley?" The two hunters froze.

"_Shit_."


	5. Chapter 5

During the ride back to the church, Sam filled Dean and Cas in with the details of Crowley's exorcism, including the demon's desire for forgiveness and the genuine tears that had fallen. They weren't sure how human Crowley had become, but they had hope that he would be much easier to deal with.

"He may have changed, but we're not sure how much of him is still demon," Dean said, pulling up to the church. Sam and Dean grabbed guns loaded with salt rounds out of the trunk and Cas grabbed Ruby's knife. They were not taking any chances.

"Hello boys," Crowley said weakly as the three men walked through the door.

Dean nodded. "Crowley."

"I don't suppose you've come here to rescue me," he said, gesturing his head toward the knife.

Sam put his weapon on the floor and stepped toward the demon, keys in hand. "We won't do anything we don't have to do."

Crowley looked at Castiel and cocked his head. "Something's different about you, Feathers."

Cas tightened his grip on the knife and stepped toward the demon. Dean grabbed his arm to stop him and glared at Crowley. "Be nice." The demon looked at Dean, confused, and the hunter realized that he really didn't know what had happened. "The angels got kicked out of Heaven. Last night."

"Ah... so that's what the light show was about."

"Yes, and it's a bit of a touchy topic," Sam said warningly.

"I'm sorry, Castiel." Crowley seemed sincere. The former angel looked at the floor, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Dean felt Cas getting uncomfortable with the attention. "So, we need to get you out of here and figure out what to do. Can we trust you?"

Crowley turned up the corners of his mouth slightly. "I'll behave."

"If you don't, none of us will hesitate to gank your ass, understand?" Crowley nodded and Sam began to unlock the chains. Cas and Dean stood close by, weapons ready. Much to their surprise, the demon didn't pull any tricks.

"Wow, A plus Sammy." Dean smiled, relaxing visibly.

They led the part human, part demon Crowley out the door and to the Impala. "We're going out to breakfast, do you wanna come or should we drop you off at the motel?" Sam asked.

"Breakfast, please. I'm starving." Maybe he was more human than they thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting at a booth in a small pancake house near Sioux Falls, South Dakota sat the strange group of men. One one side there was Sam and Crowley, sitting uncomfortably as far away from each other as possible. Crowley was angled carefully so that the waitress would not see the swollen puncture marks on his neck. The other side of the booth occupied by Dean and Castiel, sitting much closer to each other than the other two. Cas had not spoken since they had arrived at the church and was staring down at his third cup of coffee. Unlike his usual stiff posture, he was slumped forward, avoiding leaning his injured back against the seat.

The waitress, Katie, came by to take their orders. She was very pretty by Dean's standards, and had her blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. Dean smiled at her, turning on his charm. He ordered the double stack blueberry pancakes, with a side of bacon and sausage. Castiel, having given up on the menu, ordered the same. Dean rolled his eyes when Sam and Crowley both decided on healthy western egg white omelets.

"Don't tell me we have another yuppy health freak," Dean said, rolling his eyes. This earned him a bitchface from Sam.

The waitress nodded and smiled at them, her gaze lingering much longer on Dean. He winked at her, not noticing the menacing stare that his flirting earned him from Cas. Crowley did, though. When Katie was out of earshot, he spoke up. "Pay attention to your boyfriend, Winchester." Cas looked down, apparently very interested in his coffee, and Dean looked confused and frankly a bit pissed off. He grabbed the salt shaker off of the table and shook it in Crowley's direction, eliciting a string of yells and curses.

"Just testing a theory," Dean said with a cocky smile. Sam laughed, throwing him into a coughing fit. Dean's smile instantly faded.

When Sam's coughing subsided, he wiped his bloody hand on his jeans, not letting anyone see. "So, Crowley, what do you know about Abaddon?"

The demon flicked the remaining grains of salt off of his suit before speaking. "Well, she was one of the first demons, and Lucifer chose her to be a knight. She is much more powerful than your ordinary run-of-the-mill demon."

"We know _that_," Dean said, frustrated. "The last Man of Letters said she was a 'hired gun.' Do you know who the bitch is working for?"

"I believe so. She has always been very close to another powerful demon who used to be a sorceress. Her name is Morgana."

Castiel perked up when he heard her name. "Morgana?"

"Did you hit your head when you fell?" Crowley flinched as Dean grabbed the salt shaker again. "Easy now, I'm just getting to the good stuff. Morgana retained the magic she had while she was alive. She uses it to make Abaddon more powerful, and quite difficult to kill."

Sam nodded. "The demon knife didn't work on her, neither did the exorcism."

"Exactly. I'm guessing Morgana won't be easy to take down either."

"She isn't," Cas said.

"What, you've met her?" Dean asked.

"In the angel's siege on hell to rescue you, I was attacked by a demon who called herself Morgana. I struggled to fight her off, and one my brothers came and stabbed her with his blade. Nothing happened. I only escaped because my brother distracted her. She killed him."

"Freakin' witches, man."

"Thank you," Cas said a bit unkindly as the waitress filled his coffee for the fourth time. "I do believe there is something that can stop her, though." He squinted as he tried to sort through his memories. He had so many, having been alive for multiple millenia. Now all of these thoughts were crowded into a small human brain. It made his head hurt.

"There is an old man, who lives by a lake." Everyone waited for him to continue, but he just sat there with a look of concentration on his face.

"Okay," Dean said. "_And_?"

"I'm trying to remember, Dean. I have been alive a very long time. This mind is not as quick as mine was once."

"So you have angel amnesia?"

"Not exactly." He thought of the time when he had no idea who he even was. This was nothing like that. He had fragments of many years of memories, he just needed to put them together. "Just give me a minute, please. It will come to me." He took a sip of his coffee.

Dean sighed. "Okay Anastasia, let us know when you remember something."

Lost in thought they sat in silence until Katie brought there food. She gave Dean an extra bright smile, which he did not return this time. Cas looked significantly happier when she huffed and walked away.

Cas thought more about the old man by the lake. He had helped Castiel to stop Morgana. He was waiting for someone..."Dean, I remember now."

Dean looked up from his pancakes that he had already started stuffing in his mouth. "Well?"

"We need King Arthur. King Arthur of Camelot."


	7. Chapter 7

"Wait, we need _who?_" Dean raised his eyebrows at Cas, and Sam shared the same look of confusion. Even Crowley looked intrigued.

"King Arthur and his sorcerer, Merlin," Castiel repeated, as if there were nothing strange about it at all.

"Dude, are you stoned?"

"Dean, nobody has been throwing rocks at me."

Dean rolled his eyes at Castiel's tilted head and squinted eyes. His fallen angel was hopeless. "Never mind."

"So they really existed?" Sam asked.

"_Exist_, yes. Merlin can not die, and Arthur is in Lake Avalon, awaiting his resurrection."

Dean leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Well I'll be damned."

Crowley smirked. "I certainly hope so." The three of them jumped as Castiel slammed his fist on the table, rattling the plates and silverware.

"Jesus, Cas, calm down." Dean looked around and was relieved to see that no one had noticed his outburst.

Crowley raised his hands in mock surrender. "Touchy, touchy."

"Crowley, be nice or we're shoving your ass in the trunk." He looked at Cas, who's hand was still clenched in a tight fist. "And _you_ need to relax." The fallen angel removed his hand from the table, his face red with anger. He had never felt that emotion so strongly before, and all it had taken was a snarky comment from a demon. This was going to take a lot of time to get used to.

There was silence at the table for a few moments until Dean cleared his throat. "So, how are we supposed to bring back a dead king?" Dean had long since set aside his notion of "what's dead should stay dead." Their track record had defied that many times.

"There's an Enochian spell. We must go find Merlin. Only he has the power to bring back Arthur. He will return with the sword Excalibur, which I believe can put an end to Morgana."

Cas took a bite of his pancakes, letting out a moan at the taste, which Dean tried hard to ignore, though it was already having an effect on his body. "Um, here, try it with this." He handed Castiel the jar of syrup, which he poured execively all over the pancakes. Cas took another bite and closed his eyes, taking in the flavor.

"See? Already some plus sides to being human." He smiled at Castiel's appreciation of human delicacies, food and coffee. Dean was sure Cas would slow down on the coffee once he realized the effect it would have on his bladder. He hoped that he wouldn't have to explain that to Castiel.

"We should call Charlie, have her make Cas a passport," Sam said.

"Who's Charlie?" Cas asked through a mouthful of pancakes.

"She's a good friend," said Dean, "you'll love her."

After they finished eating Sam texted Charlie. He relayed the information that Charlie was at a convention but would stop by in a few days to make the passport and a drivers license, which reminded Dean that at some point they would have to teach Cas to drive. The thought of the angel behind the wheel of his Baby made him scared, more scared than he was to fly on a plane in a few days.

Making sure Cas used the bathroom after his five cups of coffee (he figured it out for himself, Dean figured), the four climbed back into the Impala. They stopped at a Target to buy the demon and the angel a few outfits to hold them over until they could properly take them shopping. Castiel insisted they wait to get clothes in England, because Arthur would most likely need some too.

Avoiding the fitting rooms for now, they guessed sizes. Castiel stuck to t-shirts and plaid, a pair of jeans, boots, boxers, and socks. Crowley stuck to suit shirts and dress pants, a tie, and underwear. They picked up some food since the bunker's kitchen was practically empty and they now had three new mouths to feed. When nobody was looking Crowley through Red Bull into the cart. Feeling like the parents of two toddlers and wanting to get the hell out of there, Dean and Sam agreed to get the demon his drink.

They also stopped at a pharmacy with their fake prescription pads to pick up painkillers for Sam and antibiotics for Cas. They were running low on pain pills, and Sam developed a pretty severe migraine on the way back, squashing his claims that he was feeling fine. The car ride home called for complete silence, and Sam draped his jacket over his face to shield himself from the light. Surprisingly Crowley kept his mouth shut, but chose the immature route by getting in Castiel's personal space and making faces at him. This earned him a weaker-than-angel-but-still-pretty-strong punch in the face from Castiel.

"That's my boy," Dean turned and patted Cas on the shoulder.

Dean couldn't have his music, Crowley continued to harrass Castiel who was pouting and staring out the window, and Sam was sick and grumpy. Needless to say, it was a long trip back to the bunker.


	8. Chapter 8

With Crowley and the hunters a safe distance away, Abaddon returned to her charred body in the church. It was an easy fix and soon she had her favorite vessel back. Her shirt had not been so lucky.

She made her way back to the hell gate she had arrived through and was met with the familiar rush of heat and smoking flesh. The smell of home. She traveled through the labyrinth of stone corridors, occasionally stopping to drag her knife across some soul's skin. She heard an agonized scream, meaning she was close.

Morgana had her back to Abaddon, facing instead a man being stretched out by chains and hooks. "Morgana, dear." The demon turned and smiled at Abaddon. She restored her old body to be her vessel. Her long dark brown hair was half pinned up in a style that reminded Abaddon of a bird's nest.

Morgana looked the other demon up and down, taking in her burnt clothing. "Abaddon," she nodded in greeting. "Allow me." She held up her hand and whispered a spell and Abaddon's clothing was restored to new.

"Thank you. We have things to discuss."

"Such as?" Morgana turned her back again and dug her dagger into the man's stomach. She pulled the knife to her face and trailed her tongue down it. "Fear gives blood the sweetest taste."

"Crowley. I would like us to take his throne."

"That may be difficult." Morgana grabbed a plier-like tool and tore out one of the man's fingernails.

"I have a feeling it won't be as hard as it seems. The Winchesters seem to have him under control."

"The Winchesters," Morgana spat, "I've heard so much about them." Another fingernail.

"I entered another vessel and followed them to a restaurant. They mean to involve Merlin and King Arthur."

"No. We must be sure to put an end to that plan immediately." She stabbed the screaming soul again and twisted her knife.

"Well then, let's stop wasting time then." Morgana heard the man sigh in relief and pulled out one more nail, for good measure.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks so much for your reviews, they make my day when I see I have a new one. SMUT is coming up, next chapter. You have been warned. C**;

As they neared the bunker, Sam decided to give Kevin a heads-up about Crowley. The prophets angry shouting could be heard by all of the passengers and was not helping Sam's migraine, which had decreased dramatically after he had taken a Demerol. He was a little hazy from the drug and didn't react quickly enough when Crowley snatched the phone from his hand.

"Kevin, it's me." More screaming was heard, Dean could only make out a few words but "fuck" was used generously.

"Listen, Kev, Moose gave me a bit of exorcist therapy and now I am feeling very... remorseful. I am truly sorry about what happened to your girlfriend. Your mum is safe, though, I lied to you. So sorry for that, and so on..." There was silence on the other line. Sam grabbed the phone back.

"We're going to need you to keep an eye on him while we do a job in England. We'll call up Garth to help you. Crowley is almost human now, so he should be easy to manage." Kevin reluctantly agreed. He told Sam that his babysitting fee would not be cheap and Sam agreed to pay him.

When Sam hung up Crowley decided that bothering Cas just wasn't enough. "Now that we have that settled, who's up for a road trip song?" The demon began belting out "Highway to Hell", which lasted about three seconds before Sam turned around and clamped his palm over Crowley's mouth.

"You have absolutely no back up and there is not a single person in this car who would miss you if you were gone, so you might want to rethink."

The tension in the car finally came to a halt when Dean pulled into the Men of Letters drive. They all took a few trips to and from the Impala, grabbing the groceries and clothes and duffel bags. Crowley grabbed his Red Bull and took his clothes to his new room, avoiding the death stares he was getting from Kevin before the prophet stormed off to the library. The demon pushed away the sudden flashes of guilt as tears threatened to form in his eyes. He refused to let the hunters see him cry again.

Dean took Castiel to a room right next to his. Hi knew the angel had never dreamed before and would probably need someone to help him distinguish nightmares from reality. With lives like theirs, nightmares were pretty much guaranteed. They got Cas's belongings put away (he took pride in slowly... very slowly hanging up all of his shirts) while the rest of the group unpacked groceries.

They regrouped in what Sam and Dean had created as their living room area, where Sam informed Crowley that while he did have a room to keep his stuff in, he would be closely monitored and would be spending a lot of time in the dungeon.

"Why do I have to sleep in a bloody torture dungeon?" He looked at everyone gathered around the large table for support but got none.

Dean was the first to speak up. "Because, you little shit, there is _way_ too much information you could cram into you demon brain and use against us, or pass along to our enemies."

"You're like our badly behaved puppy." Nobody had noticed Kevin joining them. "We have to tie you up so you don't pee everywhere, or chew up the furniture, or_ murder someone_!"

"Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"I don't plan on letting you _live_."

Sam shrugged and whispered to Dean, "so maybe Kevin is not our best babysitting option."

"So... Garth, if anyone could ever get a hold of him. There's Charlie. She could cosplay him up and get him out of the bunker at least. I would love to have pictures for blackmail. And he hasn't personally scorned her in any way yet."

As the night went on the large group became divided. Crowley chose movie room couch over sex torture dungeon. Still, Dean had chained him back up so nobody would have to stay up watching him. He had put a remote in the demons hand and gone off to his room. Kevin stayed in the back corner of the movie room, sitting in the shadows and mentally playing out all the ways he wanted to murder Crowley.

Sam called it a night, pale and shaking with sweat beading down his face. He washed down another Demerol and went to bed, leaving the bottle on the table. When Sam was out of visual range, Cas eyed the prescription. He had been put on some painkillers when he ended up in the hospital after the angel banishing incident, and they had not only helped his pain, but they had made him feel really _really_ good. Even though Cas had been "out of battery" at the time, he felt as though he could have blissfully floated his way to Sam and Dean. Remembering that feeling, he grabbed the bottle and slipped five pills into his pocket.

As much as he hated being dishonest with the boys, he filed this one under "what the Winchesters don't know, won't hurt them."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here's some porn to make up for the fact that it's taking so fucking long to bring back Arthur. Sorry!**

Cas hovered outside of Dean's door, wanting to talk but not sure how to go about it. He knew Dean hated talking about feelings, but after the jealousy—he had just figured out that that was what he had been feeling in the pancake house when Dean had winked at the waitress—Cas wanted to know where he stood with Dean. He paced back and forth before he saw Kevin round the corner, pushing him to finally knock on the door.

He was taken off guard when Dean appeared in the doorway wearing just a pair of pajama bottoms and tried to decide where to direct his eyes. They ended up everywhere. His awkwardness must have shown on his face because Dean put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "you okay, man?" Cas gulped and nodded, bringing his eyes up to meet Dean. "How's your back feeling?"

"It hurts, a lot. But it's feeling much better than last night."

"Come on in, let me take a look." Dean grabbed a small tube of antibacterial ointment out of his duffel. "We don't want it to get infected."

Dean sat down on the bed with his legs spread, sending an unfamiliar jolt through Castiel. Dean gestured the space between his knees. Cas hesitated before sitting down, facing away from the hunter. He sat there waiting, trying to force away the uneasy feeling in his stomach. "Uh, Cas? You gonna take your shirt off?"

"Oh, right, of course." Removing the over shirt hurt his shoulders, and he winced when he tried to pull off the t-shirt. He felt Dean's fingertips ghost over his sides as he helped pull the fabric over Castiel's skin. His breath caught and he felt his face heating up. Cas desperately wanted to know what was happening, why Dean was having this effect on him. What that effect actually was.

Cas jumped and was pulled from his thoughts when the cool ointment hit the tear in his flesh. "Sorry, it's going to hurt a little." Cas nodded, he could deal with the pain. It was helping to suppress the other unidentified feeling that was plaguing him and the warmth that was spreading down his abdomen. The pain only lasted a few more moments though and then Dean was done, pressing a gentle kiss between Cas's shoulder blades, causing the former angel to shiver and finally realize what was happening to his body.

His whole body tensed as he spoke. "Dean, I feel..."

"Hmm?" Dean was trailing more kisses across Castiel's shoulders, around the injuries.

"I think I'm feeling _lust_." Dean actually laughed a little at that and pulled away. He didn't want to make Cas uncomfortable, especially due to his lack of experience. He was about to speak up, apologize maybe, but Cas interrupted his thoughts. "_Please don't stop_." He didn't need to tell Dean that twice. The hunter moved up from Cas's back to his neck, sucking the flesh into his mouth and nipping it with his teeth. This earned him what Dean could only describe as a whimper from the fallen angel. Castiel reached back and pulled Dean's head closer in, and Dean bit down a little harder. He felt fingers tangle into his hair and he used his own hands to pull Castiel almost into his lap. Dean was already very hard, pressing against the small of Cas's back. He was doing everything in his power to not grind against the former angel.

This was moving much more quickly than Dean had expected; he had figured that arousal would be one of the last feelings to hit Cas considering everything that was going on. He also had not foreseen the way it would take over completely, making Cas needy for the sensations. Not that Dean was complaining. Watching the man that used to be an innocent angel of the Lord fall apart in his arms was just about the hottest thing he had ever experienced.

A shaky hand grasped and pulled at Dean's hair and he could tell that Cas wanted more. Tentatively, he ran the tips of his fingers along the waistband of Castiel's jeans. He reached around with his other hand and toyed with the button. "Is this okay?" Cas nodded and pushed up into Dean's hand, wanting contact. That was enough of an answer for Dean and he quickly had the button undone and the zipper down, pushing down the jeans which Cas now wrestled out of. "Hold on just a sec." He pulled away from Cas and reached for his nightstand, grabbing a small bottle of lube and depositing a few drops into his hand. He slid back until he was leaning against the headboard and pulled Cas with him. Dean rubbed his hands together, warming the cool liquid

"_Dean_," Cas said, a desperate need in his voice.

"Alright, aren't you impatient?" He replied with a small chuckle. He wouldn't make Cas wait any longer, though. He reached around and took the former angel's cock in his hand, starting long, slow strokes. Cas let out a deep moan and leaned his head back into the crook of Dean's neck.

His own dick had become painfully hard, and Dean began thrusting against Cas's back in time with his strokes. He ran the palm of his hand over the head of Castiel's erection, earning him a shaky gasp. With one hand Cas gripped Dean's hair again, and with the other he reached back and grasped at Dean's thigh, tangling his fingers in the fabric of the pajamas.

Dean ran his palm over the head again, causing Castiel's toes to curl. "Feels good, doesn't it?" Dean's voice was no longer strong, his breathing was becoming quicker and more shallow as he rocked against Cas.

"Mmm hmm" was all Castiel could get out as a response. Dean sped up his hand and Cas's fingers dug into his thigh. He kissed and sucked at Castiel's neck some more, taking in every moan and shaky breath coming from the man in front of him. It had been a few minutes and Dean could tell the angel would not last much longer; he could feel his own orgasm approaching. Cas began thrusting up to meet his hand with an erratic pace.

"Dean, I feel..."

Dean pressed some more gentle kisses to Cas's shoulder. "I know, just let it come, it'll feel really good." Just a moment later Cas cried out Dean's name as he spilled over his hand. The sound of Cas coming was enough to bring Dean over the edge. He pulled Cas tightly against him as he came, shuddering against Castiel's back. He buried his face in the fallen angel's hair, damp with sweat, as he rode out his orgasm.

Exhausted, Dean collapsed against the headrest, pulling Cas with him. The fallen angel turned toward Dean and curled up against him, head on the hunter's chest.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"I think I would like to do that again sometime." Dean laughed and kissed the top of Castiel's head. Within five minutes they were both sound asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Before Charlie came over, Dean called her to bring her up to date on their situation, mostly about the history between Cas and Crowley. He would wait until dinner to drop the King Arthur bombshell on her. He held the phone with his shoulder while he stirred the vodka sauce for the pasta he was making.

"So, let me get this straight, they're mostly human and living with you boys now? Awkward."

"Tell me about it. It's like Cas's betrayal is staring me right in the face."

"Just remember he didn't have the human emotions that would normally influence judgment then." He could hear the gentle sympathy in her voice. "But he has them now, so the guilt over working with a demon is going to be weighing pretty heavily on him. Then add how he must be feeling about the angels falling. So take it easy on him."

"You know, I thought I had forgiven him. But having him and Crowley together again just brings a lot of stuff back."

"Give it time. From what I've read and what you've told me, you and Cas have something special."

Dean cleared his throat. "About that... there's something I kinda wanted to tell you."

"Yeah?" There was silence on her end as she waited for him to continue. Dean chewed the inside of his lip nervously.

"Well... it's not really a big deal or anything... I just feel like I should tell someone, and, uh... I don't really know what to call it but—"

"Spit it out, Winchester!"

"Okay, okay alright." Dean didn't know why this was so difficult. It's not like Charlie would judge him for being into a guy, after all she liked girls. But the thing that was going on between him and Cas was very new to him, and it hadn't been verbalized yet. He felt like once he talked about it, that would be it. He would be different somehow, his dynamic with Cas would change, or that would make them exclusive—were they exclusive? Dean didn't know if he was ready for any kind of commitment yet. This was making Dean's head hurt.

"Cas and I... we're uh, together."

"What was that, Dean?" He was sure she had heard him.

"Really, Charlie?"

"Aww come on, I wanna hear it. With some pride, this time." Her lighthearted attitude put him at ease.

"Cas and I are together," he said, a bit more strongly.

"Aha, I knew it!"

"What—how?"

"The books, of course. All the gratuitous eye sex was bound to turn into real sex eventually."

"There hasn't been any real—you know what, I'm not talking to you about this." Charlie laughed.

"I'm so glad you two made Destiel happen."

"We made what now?"

"It's the name for the pairing between you and Castiel. It's a thing fans of the books made up, I read about it online."

Dean's mouth fell open. How had Chuck portrayed them? Were they that obvious? "I never pegged you as a Supernatural fangirl."

"Hey, I've been sucked into your crazy lives enough times to consider myself at fan level. I wanna read about all your adventures."

"So when are you coming over?"

"I should be there in an hour."

"Did you get the pictures of Cas I sent you?"

"Yep! I already made him a passport, a Kansas drivers license, a health insurance card, and a birth certificate."

"Have I ever told you you're the best?" Dean didn't try to hide the admiration in his voice.

"Not enough," Charlie said, smiling.

"I'll see you soon. Don't eat anything, I'm cooking dinner."

"K, bye."

* * *

Cas waited until Dean was off the phone to walk into the kitchen. He had heard everything. Dean was still angry with him. He wanted his wings back so he could fly out of there, to not be a constant reminder to Dean of how he had made the biggest mistake of his existence. Unfortunately he was stuck there, completely useless to the brothers. Holding back tears, he walked up to the counter where the bottle of vodka sat.

"Hey, Cas," Dean said. His smile dropped when he saw the look on Castiel's face. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured himself about six shots worth of the liquor.

"Woah there, take it easy." Dean grabbed himself a glass and poured half of Cas's glass into his.

"Dean." He reached for the other glass, frustrated.

Dean put his hands on Castiel's shoulder, giving him a small shake. "Talk to me, man. What's wrong."

"I said I'm fine," He said, a bit too harshly. He knew Dean had a lot on his plate, and he didn't want to burden him with his flood of new emotions.

"Okay, jeez." Feeling the tears welling up in his eyes again, Cas grabbed his glass and walked out, leaving a confused Dean alone in the kitchen.

* * *

For the next hour Dean had everyone on cleanup duty, making sure the bunker looked tidy for Charlie. What should have been a nice, quiet hour had not gone as smoothly as Dean had liked. He felt like he was running a day care. Crowley had gone and filled Cas's glass with Red Bull, telling him that it was supposed to give him wings. The fallen angel had gotten angry and threw his drink at the demon. He had been a bit buzzed at the time, and he ended up landing the drink right on Kevin's laptop. Kevin had started screaming at the both of them, Cas had started crying, and Crowley had to be sent to the dungeon. This was Dean's life now.

It was a relief when Charlie finally arrived, greeting everyone with hugs and a huge smile. Even Cas gladly returned her hug. "I've heard so much about you," she said, sending him a wink. Her mood was contagious, and soon Cas appeared happier.

Everyone had calmed down for dinner, and even Crowley was let out of the dungeon to meet Charlie and join them for their meal. Over their penne a la vodka Sam, Dean, and Cas (Crowley jumped in from time to time but was otherwise quiet) filled Charlie in on the reason for their trip. She was beyond excited to hear that the Arthur and Merlin were real and made it very clear that she wanted every part to do with helping them.

"So," Sam asked, "would you like to accompany us overseas?"

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried," she said, beaming.

"Do you need to go shopping for travel stuff?"

"Already got it all. I'm basically living out of my car right now. Haven't really settled down anywhere."

"Charlie," Dean said, "we have plenty of rooms here. You're always welcome here with us. For as long as you want."

Charlie considered that for a moment. "You know, that sounds like a really nice idea."

Sam filled up everyone's wine glass before raising his to Charlie. "Welcome home."

**AN: I want to apologize for this chapter. Writing is hard.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm not gonna lie, a large part of this chapter was written while I was completely wasted. I even drew some art!** **Above, my motherfucking plane.*** **And here, after eleven chapters, have an Arthur!** ***The plane that Sam, Dean, Cas, and Charlie traveled in looked nothing like that.**

Rolling his eyes, Kevin grabbed the paper from Dean. The hunter didn't stop laughing as Kevin read it.

Crowley Care List

feed three times a day (add snacks and alcohol if he is good)

leave salt out of his food

encourage him to journal

dungeon if he is being a dick

please watch at all times

especially do not let in library

"We'll be back in five days, Here is half of you money now." Sam handed Kevin $300. "The other half will come if Crowley is alive and has been treated according to the rules." Kevin nodded, squinting at the demon.

"I'll be a good pet. We can make friendship bracelets."

"Fuck you, Crowley."

"Hey!" Dean jumped in. "Is everybody packed? We have to leave in twenty minutes."

"I have acquired all that I need for the trip," Cas said. The boys had packed guns, knives, and flasks for holy water in their checked luggage.

Crowley sat at the kitchen table, arms crossed, looking like a toddler. "I don't think it's fair that ginger gets to go I am stuck with the babysitter from Hell."

"Because you're an asshole and no one trusts you. Who knows what team you're on now," Dean said.

Crowley took a sip of brandy. "I'm on team human now. Do I have any other option?"

"You could be paying off demons with the information here to protect yourself. You could give away our location."

"No, I have chosen who I stand by now, the side that actually seems to win. And besides, I have all these... feelings now. Remorse for the things I've done, et cetera. I want nothing to do with demons."

"That all sounds fine and dandy, but you're still Crowley, and you've proven that we should not believe a word out of your mouth. You're not coming." They left the demon with the scowling prophet and headed out to the Impala.

* * *

Before they got on the plane Dean hit up the bar with Cas. He took five shots of whiskey to try to calm his nerves and kept muttering under his breath about plane crashes.

Dean's drinking continued well into the flight. He sat between Charlie and Cas. The fallen angel kept his hand tightly around Dean's, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. Dean stuffed their hands between the seats so no one would see, and if Cas minded, he said nothing. "It'll be okay, Dean."

"I know, dammit." But Dean didn't let go. He clung to Cas like a lifeline.

Sam sat across the aisle from them and initiated several games of cards to keep Dean distracted during the long flight. Dean even managed to fall asleep with the help of the liquor, and his head ended up on Castiel's shoulder. Cas resisted the urge to lean his head down on top of Dean's or run his fingers through his hair, knowing Dean wanted to keep things "on the down low" as the boys would say. Charlie lost herself in a magazine, and Sam in a book.

And finally, they landed in England.

* * *

The drive to Lake Avalon was about fifteen miles. They pulled up to a small stone cabin overlooking the water. It was very serene looking, which was contributed to by a small waterfall going into a koi pond out in the front.

"Very zen," Charlie said as Sam knocked on the door. It swung open, revealing an inside that stood in stark contrast to the outside, starting with the disheveled young man in a dark blue hoodie standing in the doorway, a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand.

"Nice choice," said Dean. He was beginning to think they had the wrong house.

"Who are you?"

Cas stepped forward. "Merlin." Well that crushed Dean's doubts. "I am Castiel, we have met before. This is Dean, Sam, and Charlie," he said, pointing to each one respectively.

Merlin narrowed his eyes at the former angel. "What do you want now?" He was clearly unhappy to see them.

"It's not just you we need this time."

Merlin's face lit up with hope. "Arthur?"

"Yes, sorcerer."

Merlin smiled, though he swayed slightly. "I'll do anything, whatever you need." Tears threatened to spill over. "I've been waiting so long for this... and now..."

"Can we come in?" Dean asked.

Merlin stepped—more like stumbled—to the side to let them in. "Yes, of course. Pardon the... mess." The mess included empty liquor bottles strewn across the floor and prescription bottles on the coffee table. Merlin, embarrassed to have his issues laid out for everyone to see, rushed to clean up. Tension filled the room as Dean, Sam, Castiel and Charlie sat down on the two couches. "It's been, uh, really tough, living without him." He turned red when Dean handed him a half-empty bottle of gin from between the couch cushions.

"Is your friend okay?" Merlin looked over to Charlie, who was staring at him with wides eyes and a dropped jaw.

She snapped out of it when she felt four pairs of eyes on her. "I'm sorry, I've just read a lot about you and seen all the movies. Just fangirling a bit over here."

Merlin smiled at her, clearly amused. "Those movies are highly inaccurate."

"Right, of course." Charlie continued to look starstruck.

"I don't mean to ruin your little moment but we need to fill Merlin in on what's going on."

The sorcerer made coffee in an attempt to sober up—the last thing he wanted was to be drunk for his reunion with Arthur—and for the next hour Sam and Dean told him everything he needed to know.

* * *

The group of near strangers waited in the cabin as Merlin walked out to the shore, holding a small slip of paper containing the spell with shaking hands. He gazed out across the lake at the tower, silhouetted against the setting sun and just barely visible amid the fog. Merlin was nervous as hell, for himself as well as for Arthur. It was a whole new world the king was about to be thrown into, and it would be on Merlin to make sure that transition was made as smoothly as possible.

Pushing his hesitation aside—he had waited a painfully long time for this—Merlin cleared his throat and spoke the words on the paper. "Torsul christeos malpirgi." His cracking voice made him aware of the fact that he was crying. Merlin started pacing, waiting for any sign of movement on the placid water.

Then he saw it, a dark mass through the fog. It was a boat, presumably the same one Merlin had sent Arthur off in, cold and pale and lifeless. He could make out the figure of a man sitting, alive, and he decided the boat was moving far slowly for his liking. He started running toward him, making a splash in the water that made Arthur look up. Merlin could just barely see his features, his tousled blond hair. He was no longer wearing his armor. Instead, he was dressed in a white tunic. Merlin thought he looked ethereal.

More tears welled up in Merlin's eyes as Arthur smiled at him, and he felt indescribable joy pulsing through his veins. All of the love he had felt for his king, before and after his death, came rushing over him, more powerful than any drug he had used to fill the void.

Merlin ran as fast as he could through the water, though they weren't approaching each other fast enough for Arthur either, Merlin realized, as the other man jumped into the lake. They finally met in the middle, Arthur pulling him into a tight embrace.

Merlin was breathless. He tried to speak, but his voice couldn't make it above a whisper.

"Arthur."


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thank you so much for the comments and follows! They mean so much to me. C:**

"It took you long enough," Arthur sighed, smiling into Merlin's hair. "It felt like I was gone for a decade."

Merlin pulled away from the spot on Arthur's neck that he had nestled into. "You were awake?"

"In and out, yeah. There was woman with me, her name was Freya. She told me I would return, and that you would be waiting for me."

"Arthur... you were gone for far more than ten years." Arthur pulled away from Merlin completely. It was only then that the king took in Merlin's appearance.

"Your clothes, they're so strange." He fumbled with the zipper of Merlin's hoodie. "Merlin, how long was I gone for?"

"Come on, let's get you inside. I'll explain everything." Merlin turned to walk back to shore, but stopped when Arthur put his hands on his shoulders and spun him back around.

"No." Arthur's grip on Merlin's shoulders tightened. "_How long_?"

Merlin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Stubborn as always, Arthur was not going to take "later" for an answer. "About fifteen—"

"Years? You're lying."

"_Centuries_." Merlin saw a range of emotions cross Arthur's face. There was anger, confusion, sadness. And something that Merlin couldn't quite place.

"Okay," he replied, surprisingly calm.

"_Okay_?" Merlin had imagined this conversation a countless number of times over the years, in many different ways, but none of them had ever included Arthur saying "okay."

"Yes, _Mer_lin." Still, his eyes became shiny with tears.

The boat had floated to them now, and Arthur reached in to grab Excalibur. Merlin looked down as his friend wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "We should probably get back to the house. There is so much to tell you, and there are people you have to meet."

They made their way back to the cabin in comfortable silence, until Arthur spotted the two cars parked on the side. "What the hell are those?" He stepped in front of Merlin, sword ready. Arthur turned around in shock when Merlin started laughing.

"Sire, there is nothing here that will hurt us." Arthur lowered his sword but still eyed the vehicles with suspicion. "Those are called cars. They are like carriages without the horses. Only they go much, much faster. And cost a lot more money."

Arthur walked up to Merlin's and peered into the window. "I'll have to ride in this?"

"Oh, yes. I'll even have to eventually teach you to drive one." The king had no idea what that entailed but was excited nonetheless. Merlin pulled Arthur, who was reluctant to leave the car, toward the front door. "So, things are very different now, and some of the objects in my house might look scary to you, but everything is fine. No... attacking, or smashing anything, okay?" Arthur nodded, but Merlin took Excalibur anyways.

"I'm sure I can handle it." He sounded cocky, so Merlin decided right then to knock the king off his high horse. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and pressed the alarm button. Arthur let out an embarrassingly high pitched scream and jumped behind Merlin, who could not control his laughter.

"Are you sure about that?" Merlin stopped laughing when a scowling Arthur whacked him on the side of the head.

"I certainly hope not everything in this time makes such horrid noises."

"Wait until you hear the alarm clock." Merlin opened the front door and watched as the other man took everything in. The lights, the television (which fortunately had been left off while Merlin was outside), the decor, the fan, and the four strangely dressed people who had just gotten off the sofa... all of this Arthur gazed at in amazement.

"I'm going to get us some towels, you guys get acquainted."

The first person who walked over to Arthur towered over him. "I'm Sam." Arthur reached out and shook his hand.

"I'm Arthur."

"And this here's my brother, Dean." Sam gestured toward his the older hunter. Merlin was back with the towels and handed one to Arthur.

Castiel waved from where he was standing. "Castiel."

Merlin introduced the youngest hunter. "And last but not least, we have Charlie."

Charlie actually _curtseyed._ "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

"I like this one," he said, beaming at her.

"Charlie is actually a queen herself."

"Dean, stop." She slapped his arm playfully. Charlie blushed at having the attention on her, even further when Arthur grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips.

"And does her majesty have a king?" Merlin rolled his eyes. Hand it to Arthur to hit on the first girl he meets.

Charlie coughed. "I'm actually more into queens, if you know what I mean."

Arthur looked taken aback. "Is that allowed?"

"Nowadays, yeah. There hasn't been any queen-on-queen ruling though, outside of LARPING."

"LARPING?"

"It stands for live-action roleplaying. I'm not really a queen, I just pretend to be. It's just a game I play with a big group of people."

"I see. Times certainly are different." He took a moment to look over the room again.

"Yes," Merlin said. And there is much we need to tell you. I'll make some coffee, this will take a while."

The group made small talk while Merlin went into the kitchen. He took the opportunity to take out a prescription bottle from his pocket. Percocet. He promised he would stop the drug use after Arthur returned, but there was no way he was going to stop cold turkey. He would stick to the weaker painkillers and avoid the other stuff he had, like his morphine. Merlin had been lucky, so far. With everything he took, he only had a mild addiction. It was probably due to the fact that he was immortal; his body just didn't react as strongly to things as other people. The worst thing that happened when he didn't have a fix was shakiness and anxiety, which he was feeling now. Merlin took the pill and started the coffee maker.

When the coffee was done they figured out that if it had five sugars and enough creamer to turn the liquid into a light caramel color, Arthur would drink it. _Of course_ he was going to be the spoiled one. Everyone else was much more simple.

"So, what do you need to tell me?" Arthur took a sip of his drink.

"First of all, your crazy bitch of a half-sister is back," Dean said.

"Morgana?" Arthur looked at Merlin questioningly. "She came back like we did?" Merlin swallowed. That lead to a whole different conversation that he wanted to have more privately.

"Not exactly. She was in hell."

"Hell is real?" Arthur had been raised with Christian beliefs but had not had faith in all of it.

"I hate to break it to you, but yeah," Dean said. "Angels, demons, gods, monsters, the whole shebang."

"And Morgana, she's—"

"A demon," Cas spoke up, deviating his attention from his mug of coffee. "A very powerful one. None of our weapons can destroy her."

"Oh." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. He will still trying to process "hell is real."

"Which is why we need you," Charlie said. "And your magical sword of destiny."

Arthur chuckled. "My sword is not magic."

Merlin shuffled his feet, staring at the floor. "Actually, sire, it is. Long story short, I had it forged in dragon's fire and put it in the stone. I then used magic to help you pull it out."

Arthur gaped at him. "Merlin, I could hit you again." Merlin ducked away defensively, but Arthur was faster. He grabbed Merlin's wrist and pulled him closer before hitting his head again. The two of them completely missed the knowing glance Dean and Charlie shared, along with Charlie's wink.

Charlie wasn't blind. She could tell that the playful banter and intense glances that rivaled Cas and Dean's were more than just platonic. Between the king and his sorcerer and the hunter and his fallen angel, the unresolved sexual tension in the room was going to suffocate her. She quickly thanked herself for Sam's presence.

Merlin shivered and realized how wet he and Arthur still were. "Why don't we get into some dry clothes? Then our visitors can tell you everything you need to know." He grabbed Arthur by the arm and excused them, leading his friend through the small hallway into his bedroom.

"Ten dollars says they'll be in there for more than twenty minutes," Charlie bet.

Dean reached out and shook her hand. "Deal."

* * *

When he and Arthur were in the bedroom, Merlin flicked on the lights, causing Arthur to jump again.

"How did you do that? Is it your magic?"

"No, sire," Merlin said. Old habits died hard. He thought of the simplest way to explain electricity. "We're able to channel energy, make it appear as light or sound." He looked forward to showing Arthur the radio.

The king approached the lamp on the bedside table and tapped on the light bulb. "It's like lightening, trapped inside glass."

Merlin smiled at Arthur's fascination. "Yeah, you could say that." He grabbed Arthur by the shoulders and sat him down in front of the lit fireplace. He rummaged through his drawers and grabbed a pair of sweats for Arthur and some flannel pajama bottoms for himself. He then grabbed them each a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, plus a hoodie for Arthur in case he got cold.

"Merlin, what's that?" Arthur was leaning past the sorcerer and pointing at the glowing box on the nightstand.

"It's an alarm clock. It shows the time and makes terrible noises to wake me up in the morning."

"Oh. What's that?" He pointed up this time.

"A ceiling fan." He reached up and pulled the cord, starting the rotation. "It keeps the room cool."

"Wow." Arthur looked around the room with wide eyes.

Merlin put Arthur's clothes on the bed and started walking toward the door. He stopped when Arthur stood up and held his arms out. Merlin sighed. The king was not going to make this easy on him.

He changed Arthur's clothes as Arthur pointed out various objects around the room. "What's this?" When Merlin didn't respond (he was trying to do his job, damn it), Arthur repeated himself. "What's this?" He gestured toward the flat-screen mounted over the fireplace.

Merlin laughed. Arthur was beginning to remind him of Jack from A Nightmare Before Christmas. That stupid song was going to get stuck in his head now. "A television. He plays moving pictures with sound. I think you'll enjoy it. But later." Merlin took a step back and looked Arthur over. The white t-shirt was a little small on him and the sweats hugged his hips a little low, leaving a strip of skin in between. His hair was sticking up at certain angles from the shirts being pulled over his head. Arthur looked _fuckable_.

Merlin pushed these thoughts aside as he reached up to fix the unruly blond locks. "Alright, back to the living room, I've got to change too." He tossed the hoodie at Arthur. "In case you get cold." Merlin waited for a "thanks" that didn't come, of course. He closed the door, telling himself that when Arthur got adjusted he was going to receive a little talk about manners.

When he was dressed he headed back to the living room, where Castiel was explaining to Arthur how humans had discovered coffee. He saw Charlie handing Dean money with a mock scowl on her face. He wasn't going to ask.

Merlin and Arthur sat down at the dining room table (just a few feet away from the couch; his house was small) as Sam spoke up. "So, I guess we outta start from the beginning."

Sam, Dean, and Castiel talked for hours. They thoroughly explained angels, demons, exorcisms, the importance of salt, devils traps, Heaven, hell, Purgatory, the abandoned trials, the fall of the angels, and everything in between. Arthur listened intently, nodding and asking questions.

"If you would like to understand further, I highly recommend reading the Winchester Gospels." Cas's idea was quickly squashed by the brothers.

"But if you ever change your mind, I have the whole series on my iPad." Charlie ignored the piercing stare she earned from Dean. Arthur looked at her quizzically as she pulled the iPad out of her bag and walked over to him. "Here, check this out." She pushed the power button Arthur's eyes lit up with the screen. A few seconds later the background picture appeared. It was a photo of her with Sam, Dean, Cas, and Kevin. Crowley had taken the picture.

"How are you all there? This is unlike a painting or a drawing."

"This has a little thing called a camera. You point it and push a button, and then whatever is in front of the camera will become frozen as a photograph in here." Charlie looked up at Merlin, who was looking at Arthur with a look of pure adoration. She thought the whole situation was quite adorable.

"Can I try?" Arthur asked.

"Sure thing." She opened the camera app and pointed to the center circle. "Press this when you are ready to take the picture."

Arthur grabbed the iPad and pointed it at Merlin, who gave an encouraging smile. Arthur pressed the button and at the "click" sound nearly dropped it.

"Woah there, careful!" She exclaimed, catching the tablet.

"S-Sorry. I wasn't expecting that.

"It's okay," Charlie said, handing it back to him. "Lots of things nowadays make strange sounds. You kinda have to get used to it."

Arthur looked down at the screen. "Look, Merlin, it's you." He smiled and showed the sorcerer the photo. "You're frozen inside this..."

"iPad," Charlie finished. He walked over to the couch that Dean and Cas were sitting on and pointed it that. Cas smiled awkwardly and Dean rolled his eyes as Arthur snapped the picture.

"This is incredible. Is _this _magic?"

"No, Arthur. Just science. I don't really have to use magic anymore, thanks to technology." The only time Merlin used magic was to heal at the local hospital he volunteered at. That took a lot of energy out of him, though, so he couldn't do it as often as he would like to.

During the next hour Charlie had ninety-seven new pictures on her iPad. These included photos of everyone in the house, the refrigerator, the lamp (thirty seven to be exact), and the window.

Merlin yawned, looking at his watch. It was 12:07. "I think I'll get some sleep, I've been up since five."

Sam nodded. He was feeling drained, too. His whole body hurt, and he was still coughing up a lot of blood. Charlie got up off the couch so he could lay down. "We'll probably be up for a while, we're still running on Kansas time."

"If you want, I'll leave out some sleeping pills for you." Merlin went to the bathroom and came out with two orange bottles.

"Thanks, those will help," Dean said. Maybe this way he would get more than his usual four hours.

In Merlin's absence Charlie, Dean and Cas showed Arthur the television. He watched in awe as Cas flipped through the channels, which was fun for the both of them. Cas missed tv. He stopped on Doctor Sexy, M.D. "Dean loves this show."

"Shut up, Cas." He sat next to Charlie on the couch that wasn't occupied by a sleeping Sam and Arthur sat on the floor, about six inches away from the screen. Cas sat on the floor between Dean's knees. He got a kick for his comment.

Charlie voted that they keep the show on, and after a half-hour of the soap opera (much to Dean's enjoyment Arthur had gotten very involved) Charlie and Dean decided to introduce Arthur to the cell phone. Dean called Charlie's phone, which she answered and handed to Arthur. He lifted it to his ear, imitating the hunter.

"Hello," Dean said.

"Dean?" Charlie grabbed Arthur's hand and led him into the guest bedroom.

"Yeah, it's me," Dean responded.

"You can still hear me?"

"With these, people can talk to each other no matter how far apart they are. We could be doing this from different countries." Teaching Arthur was giving Dean a new appreciation for modern technology."

Arthur handed the phone back to Charlie. "I think I've had enough for tonight." He was tired and overwhelmed and needed a break. "Thanks for everything. For showing me all this stuff."

"No problem, man." Dean clapped him on the back. Arthur was growing on him. If anyone asked, he would deny that it had anything to do with their shared fondness of Doctor Sexy, M.D.

They said their goodnights and Arthur headed to Merlin's room. He found the sorcerer curled up on the floor. He nudged Merlin with his foot, waking him up. "You don't have to sleep on the floor, you know."

"Arthur, I'm not making you sleep down here."

"I mean..." Arthur played with the hem of his shirt. "You could sleep up here. With me." Merlin contemplated it for a moment before getting up and putting his pillow on the bed.

"Sounds great."

* * *

Dean grabbed an Ambien and handed one to Charlie. He wasn't anywhere near tired yet. "We should get to sleep, too. Cas, you want one?"

"Um, sure." He grabbed the small pill from Dean's hand and swallowed it with his coffee.

"Charlie, you can have the bed in the guest room, I'll take the floor. Cas, that leaves the couch for you." Charlie grabbed her bag and headed for her room. Cas looked down at his coffee, a bit disappointed. He had been hoping Dean would let them share the bed.

Charlie changed into her Harry Potter pajamas and Cas into sweats, but Dean kept on the clothes he was wearing. Pajamas were saved for the bunker, the only place he felt safe. He grabbed his favorite gun out of his suitcase and placed it securely under his pillow.

Cas ran into Dean outside of the bathroom. "Human bodily functions are irritatingly inconvenient."

"Yeah, it sucks, but you'll get used to it." Dean placed his hand on Cas's shoulder. "Look, man, I'm sorry about the sleeping arrangements. I really don't want Sam to know about us. Not yet."

"I understand." He shrugged out of Dean's grip and walked into the bathroom. "Good night, Dean."

Cas brushed his teeth, something that Dean had shown him how to do. He didn't like all of the work that came with being human. He had to clean his teeth, shower, use the bathroom, wear deodorant. And he was beginning to think he needed corrective lenses for his vision, although he didn't recall Jimmy owning a pair.

After he had everything taken care of everything in the restroom, he laid on the couch and tried to sleep, but whatever he had taken was not working yet. All of these thoughts were swirling around in his head. He missed the feel of his grace, the warm static that pulsed through him. He missed his wings. Without them he felt like everywhere he went he was trapped and traveling was so slow. And most of all Cas missed being able to see Dean's soul, the brightest one he had ever laid eyes on.

And why didn't Dean want he brother to know about them? Was he ashamed? Maybe if Cas still had his grace, things would be different. He felt the wetness on his cheeks and wondered when he had started crying. Frustrated at the fact that he was still wide awake, Cas walked over to the pill bottles. He took another one out of the bottle Dean had taken their pills from, the one reading "zolpidem." Cas picked up the second bottle, marked "trazadone" and figuring the more the better, grabbed one of those too.

He dry swallowed the two pills and headed back to the couch. Within fifteen minutes he felt blissfully calm and tired and fell into a peaceful sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning Merlin showed Arthur around the bathroom, explaining to him the workings of indoor plumbing. Arthur took time to test everything out, turning the sink on, flushing the toilet, and running a hand experimentally under the warm stream of the shower. "This is incredible. It's like you have a waterfall _in your house_." Merlin leaned against the sink and watched Arthur fondly. He knew that they were about to face hell. But for now, he was going to savor all of the moments like this that they had until then.

After the bathroom, when Charlie volunteered to teach Arthur about the kitchen, Merlin approached Sam in the living room. "I think I might be able to help you."

The hunter looked at him, confused. "Yeah, that's what we're hoping."

"I mean _you_, Sam. I know you are sicker than you are leading the others to believe." Sam started coughing, his body betraying him as if to prove Merlin's point.

"How?" He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his mouth. When he pulled it away he saw specks of blood tainting the white fabric.

"I can see it, your sickness. I can also see that you're healing; even since yesterday it has become less ingrained in you. With some potions and spellwork, hopefully I can speed up the process."

"Okay, um, great, thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable under Merlin's analyzing stare. It was almost worse than the angel's. _Former_ angel's.

"It's going to take some time. Healing takes a lot of power out of me, and this isn't an ordinary illness."

"Yeah, I understand. Whatever you can do, I would really appreciate it." Merlin put a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder and left for the kitchen, leaving Sam to lie on the couch, resting his arm over his eyes. His head was pounding, his limbs shaking, and the room was spinning. Sam drifted back to sleep within minutes.

Within the next two hours everyone, with the exception of Sam, got ready to leave the house for the drug store. The guest bathroom had a shower, so it wouldn't have taken five people much time to shower except for the fact that Arthur took forty-five minutes. He stood under the stream until the water ran cold, much to Castiel's annoyance. He shivered through his five minute shower, making him even more cranky that morning. Not even coffee cheered him up.

They took separate cars, with Dean, Cas, and Charlie in the rental. Merlin drove Arthur in his car. It turned out that the king absolutely loved car rides. "Make it go faster, Merlin." The sorcerer explained speed limits, which Arthur scoffed at. "How inconvenient."

Arthur did, however, do much better in the drug store than Merlin had expected. There was not a constant train of "what's this?" Instead, he picked up each item and read every label thoroughly while Merlin explained things and picked up what they needed. He bought him toothpaste and a toothbrush, deodorant, shaving cream and a razor, and shampoo, conditioner, and body soap. Dean picked up the same for Cas, minus the razor and shaving cream.

"You can use my electric razor. Soon, you're getting scruffy." He ran his finger down Castiel's cheek, a mirror of the way he had in Purgatory. Cas shivered, not sure if it was from the sensation or the memory of that forsaken place.

Charlie met up with them at the register, holding gum and a soda. She handed her items to Dean, along with some cash. "Get this for me, would ya? Nature calls."

When Charlie swung open the bathroom door, she nearly knocked a women over. A very pretty woman, she noticed. She was a blond, with long wavy curls. "Sorry about that." She let the door close behind her and froze when the woman leaned in, just inches away from Charlie's face, lips parted.

"I-I'm Charlie."

The woman smiled at her. "I know." Suddenly there was black smoke pouring from her mouth. Charlie tried to scream but choked when the smoke touched her lips, pushing it's way inside. It was hot and dry and smelled like sulfur, and as hard as Charlie tried coughing, she couldn't stop it. She saw the blond woman fall to the floor before everything turned to black.

**A/N: Sorry for this short, shitty chapter. Next one will be better! And thanks so much everyone for the reviews. They make my day. C:**


	15. Chapter 15

Dean, Cas, Charlie, and a just-awakened Sam sat around a table in a small pub that Merlin had agreed to meet them at. The sorcerer was stopped by a Wiccan store for supplies.

Their waitress was a gorgeous, busty brunette with her hair pulled back into a messy bun. It took all of Dean's willpower to keep his eyes on her face while he ordered his burger. Normally he would be flirting in a heartbeat. Now, with whatever he had going on with Cas, he showed restraint out of courtesy for the ex-angel.

When they got their food Sam leaned over his salad and looked at Cas, who was seated next to Dean and devouring his double-stack burger. "Dean, he's taking after you. You two need to eat healthier or you'll die of coronaries."

"Aww, let him live a little!" Charlie said, grabbing a fry off of Cas's plate. "Enjoy one of the greatest aspects of humanity."

Dean took in Sam's pale face. "It doesn't exactly look like all those salads have helped you out. You need more substance in your food!" He bit into his burger greedily.

"There's chicken in this," Sam defended. "My health is actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Merlin said he might be able to help me."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

Sam raised his eyebrows at his brother. "Why, you don't think he can do it? He's gotten rid of _cancer_, Dean."

"Cas couldn't even heal you, what makes you think some junkie wizard would be able to fix you?"

"Merlin is the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth," Cas stated. "And I think the reason I couldn't heal your brother is because of the nature of the trials. God would have 'angel-proofed' them, as you would say." The fallen angel emphasized with air quotes.

That was when Merlin and Arthur showed up. The table went silent, making it obvious that they had been talking about Merlin.

"Did we miss anything?" Arthur asked.

"We were just debating whether or not Merlin will be able to cure Sam." Cas said, earning him a kick under the table from both Dean and Cas.

"Well, it's not a sure thing," Merlin said. "Even if I can't heal him, his illness seems to be slowly subsiding. With enough time I'm sure he'll be as good as new."

Merlin ordered wings and another round of beer for everyone. They stayed for an hour chatting and watching the football game until they decided to go shopping. Merlin's clothes were too small for Arthur and Cas was still wearing Dean's clothing.

They were walking down the alley toward the cars that were parked behind the bar when Dean turned to Charlie and grabbed her shoulders. "Christo."

Charlie, or the demon possessing her flinched and her eyes turned black. In a flash Dean had her pinned against the brick wall.

"How did you know?" She clawed at his arms and face until he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head.

"Our waitress was smokin' hot and you didn't even give her a second glance."

"Seriously? Out of all the quirks this girl has, that was what gave me away?" Abandoning hopes of getting her arms free she resorted to kicking. She hit him between the legs and Dean stumbled backwards, releasing her wrists.

She started to run before Merlin's raised his hand, eyes flashing gold, and pinned her against the wall.

"_You_ too?" Dean reached into the pocket in his jacket and pulled out Ruby's knife, running toward Merlin.

Cas jumped out in front of him. "Dean, no!"

"His eyes, they were yellow!" He struggled to push past Cas, who had was gripping Dean by the shoulders when Arthur wrapped his arm around his neck.

"_Do not touch him_."

Merlin backed away but didn't let go of the spell. "I'm not a demon, Dean."

"True sorcerers' eyes glow gold when they use magic. It only happens to those born with magic. He's not a demon." Dean stopped pushing against Cas.

"He's telling the truth," Arthur said.

"Oh. Uh, I'm sorry, then… for almost stabbing you," he told Merlin. Arthur let him out of the strong grip he had around Dean's throat.

"It's okay. It wouldn't have done much anyways," the sorcerer replied, shrugging. "It would have hurt like hell, though."

Dean turned the attention back to the demon possessing Charlie. "Who sent you?"

The demon spat in his face. "You think I'm going to tell you?"

Dean stepped closer and held the knife against Charlie's throat. "Yes, I do."

The demon laughed. "You wouldn't hurt me, not in this meatsuit. I know you're like her only family. It's pathetic, really."

"You're right, I wouldn't hurt Charlie. But there are other ways of hurting you. Sammy?" His brother handed Dean a flask of holy water and the demon threw her head back, black smoke pouring from her mouth. Sam began reciting the backward exorcism and demon screamed, the smoke once again filling her.

"Going somewhere, sweetheart?" Dean splashed the holy water in her face, earning another scream. "Now, I could do this all day, or you can tell us who sent you." When the demon didn't respond he threw more holy water at her.

"Fine, fine. Just… stop. Please."

"Wow, you cracked fast." Dean thought she must have been a younger demon.

"It was Abaddon. And Morgana." She gasped for air. "They sent me to track you. To find out how difficult you would be to take down."

"So they sent in the grunt first, to test the waters."

"They're worried," Merlin said.

"That's all I know, I swear."

"We believe you," Sam said. "Exorcisamus te, omnis immundus spiritus—"

"What are you doing?! Do you know what they'll do to me if you send me back there?"

"Frankly, my dear," Dean said, "I don't give a damn."

"Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, draco maledicte. Ecclesiam tuam securi tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos." The black smoke poured out of Charlie's mouth and plummeted to the ground, beginning its descent into hell. Merlin released her a bit too soon and Charlie collapsed to the concrete ground.

"Charlie?" Dean shook her a few times before she blinked up at him.

"Oh, hi guys."

"Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah… demon vision is not as cool as you would think."

"Believe me, I know," Sam said.

"Next time a hot girl gets all up in my face in a drug store bathroom, I will make sure to get the holy water."

Dean looked at his brother. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Tattoo shop?"

"Tattoo shop."

x x x

"I used to be able to smite demons with just a touch," Cas said sadly. They were on the highway, following Merlin's car to the nearest tattoo parlor.

"Not the time for a pity party, Cas." Dean said. So Cas did the next best thing he could think of. When no one was looking he pulled two painkillers he had taken from the bunker out of his pocket and popped them in his mouth. By the time they got to the shop his head was clouded and he was no longer thinking of his mightier days.

"Hi, we need three tattoos, all the same." Sam showed the artist his tattoo, and the woman, Caroline, was able to sketch out the anti-possession mark. She looked at them warily, as if she thought they belonged to some sort of cult.

Merlin was first. He lifted his shirt to reveal that he already had one. It was a dragon that covered half of his back, the Pendragon crest.

"Merlin…" Arthur ran his fingers over the blackened skin, raising goosebumps all over the sorcerer's body. Merlin got his tattoo on his hip.

Next was Arthur, he got his on his shoulder blade in a deep red color.

Finally, Castiel went getting his on his back in between the cuts where his wings had been.

"What happened here, sweetie?"

Cas froze, unsure of what to say. "Car accident," he mumbled out.

"Why don't you just stick to your job?" Dean snapped. She was silent as she wiped down the area with a disinfecting wipe.

Cas didn't even flinch, even with the new painful sensations of being human, the painkillers had numbed out his body so that the needle simply made his skin tingle. The others waited in the front lobby, leaving Dean in the booth with Cas. That was when the Caroline started flirting with Cas, giggling and batting her eyelashes.

"I'm gonna give you my number, in case you have any problems with your tattoo." She ran a finger down the fallen angel's bare arm. Dean could tell Cas was getting uncomfortable.

"Why don't you back off?" The artist looked up at him, clearly shocked.

"I'm sorry, why don't you let your friend speak for himself?"

"He's not… my friend. He's my… _thing_." Caroline looked at him with raised eyebrows while Castiel beamed at Dean, obviously thrilled with being called his "thing." Sure, it wasn't the most romantic label, but Cas took what he could, and he figured that was the most he would get from Dean for a while. The artist took ten more minutes on Castiel's tattoo, afraid to say another word.

She went up front to ring them up (Sam had a credit card), leaving Dean and Cas together in the booth.

"That wasn't so bad," Cas said, putting his shirt back on.

Dean clapped him on the shoulder. "There's a good little angel."

Cas raised his eyebrows at him. "Dean, I'm not an—"

The hunter cut him off with a kiss to the forehead. "I know, I know. But even as a human, you're still my angel."


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning: this chapter contains homophobic language. It is brief, but was still difficult to write.**

"Dean, he has enough plaid!" They were standing in the middle of a trendy clothing store that Charlie had convinced the boys to shop at in lieu of their normal army surplus stores. Initially Dean had scoffed at the turquoise walls and modern chandeliers, but he had to admit they were finding a lot of decent clothes. Despite their upscale appearance, the store housed plenty of plaid, much to Charlie's dismay. Now, Charlie was a plaid fan herself, but Dean currently had eight of the patterned shirts piled in an overwhelmed Castiel's arms. She returned three of the shirts to the rack and replaced them with a cardigan.

"No, he has enough fucking sweaters."

"I like the sweaters," came Castiel's reply, muffled by fabric.

Merlin was holding a much smaller pile of clothes. "Merlin, these can't be comfortable." Arthur was holding a pair of jeans out at arm's length, staring at them skeptically.

"You can't just walk around in sweatpants all the time." Arthur reluctantly set the pants in Merlin's arms.

"You're gonna want to layer up, too," Sam told them. "Better protection from injuries."

After an hour and a half Cas and Arthur both had t-shirts and jeans, tons of overshirts, a leather jacket each, boots, and in Cas's case, sweaters, all in dark shades of blues, greens, grays, and black. They made their way to the fitting room in the back of the store. There was a small area outside with plush couches and chairs, a black chandelier, and a wall consisting of full length mirrors.

"Montage time!" Charlie set her phone on the armrest of the squishy chair she was sitting on and started some upbeat music. "Make sure you come out and show us everything."

Merlin handed Arthur the clothes and was about to step back into the sitting area when he saw Arthur eyeing him expectantly. The sorcerer sighed. "This is the last time." He squeezed into the small fitting room with Arthur. It was clearly not made for two people. He could feel Arthur's body heat radiating off of him and felt like his breath had been taken from him. Merlin would never get used to being close to Arthur. He tried to keep his thoughts straight as he methodically undressed Arthur, the same seemingly simple task he had done for years.

Charlie watched as Dean's face lit up every time Cas came out wearing a new outfit, though the hunter tried to hide it. Much to her surprise, the ex-angel was quite good at coordinating colors. Cas seemed to be enjoying himself, too, although he found the taking off and putting on of clothes tedious. He enjoyed seeing everyone's reactions, especially Dean's. When he came out in a pair of dark wash jeans and a blue and black plaid shirt that he felt especially good in he even did a little spin, which Charlie found rather adorable. Judging by Dean's expression, so did he.

Arthur had a preference for v-necks. They reminded him of his old tunics. He didn't mind layering up, either, since he was used to being confined in armor. Arthur did keep forgetting to zip up his jeans, though, but Merlin didn't give him too much trouble about it, considering zippers hadn't been invented until the mid-twentieth century.

Just as Arthur was closing the door to their fitting room stall, two preppy looking boys in polo shirts walked past. "Check out those two faggots in there," one of them whispered, pointing toward the door that just closed. It was quite enough that Sam and Charlie had not heard it, but Dean sure had. Rage clouded his judgment and seconds later Dean was out of his seat and pinning the boy against the wall, hand tight around his throat. The other kid shrieked and the boy's face drained of its color.

"What did you say?" Sam was behind him in an instant, trying to pull him away, but it was a half-hearted attempt. The teen had probably said something to deserve it if Dean was this furious.

"N-nothing, mister." The kid's eyes started filling with tears. Charlie nervously turned off her montage music.

"I have a problem with assholes like you," Dean growled. He pulled the boy closer to him, then slammed his head back into the wall, not hard enough to do any damage but enough to hurt like a bitch. That was when Cas walked out and Sam stepped in.

"Dean, you need to calm down." He put his hand on Dean's shoulder gently, not wanting his brother to do any further harm. "Let the kid go." When Dean didn't respond, Sam added, "Someone is going to see you."

Cas stepped to Dean's side, ready to defend him in case the teen was some supernatural creature that needed an ass kicking. "Dean', what's going on?" Castiel's voice brought Dean back to the present and he let go with a disapproving grunt. The kid just stood there for a while, eyes wide and face pale, before his friend grabbed his arm and pulled him quickly out of the store.

Merlin and Arthur stepped out into the sitting area then, noticing the disarray the group was in. "What happened."

Castiel, who had figured out that Dean had just attacked a human, turned to them, face red with anger. "Dean nearly choked a young boy to death."

Dean threw himself back down into his chair. "He had it comin'."

"What the hell happened?" Sam asked. "What did he say to get you that mad?"

Dean shook his head, willing his blood pressure to decrease. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Dean, you can't just—"

"Drop it, Sam." He turned and raised his eyebrows at Charlie, who hesistantly turned the music back on. Dean just wanted the moment to be over.

He was finally able to get a look at Cas, who was wearing a gray cardigan that the fallen angel had picked out for himself over a black v-neck. Dean didn't want to admit it (they had argued over putting the sweater back), but Castiel looked downright fuckable in it. Cas let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to try on more clothes when Dean called his name. He spun around on his heel to face the hunter. "Yes, Dean?" he snapped.

"You're getting the sweater."

Before he turned around again Dean swore he saw a hint of a smile on the former angel's lips.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who puts up with my shitty writing and still reviews and follows. 3**


End file.
